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NBA Players to receive 25% less pay from May 15

LOS ANGELES — The NBA has reached an agreement with the National Basketball Players Association to withhold 25% of each player’s salary from May 15 due to the shutdown of the sport because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The deal would provide a gradual reduction in player salaries in case a “force majeure” event, such as the pandemic, wipes out the rest of the regular season.

The money will be placed in escrow and paid back to players if all of the remaining regular season games are played, ESPN reported.

If only part of the season can be played, the amount paid out would be on a pro rata basis based on the number of games completed.

The salary reductions will continue through the first two months of the 2020–21 NBA season, ESPN said.

The NBA has not held a game since March 11 and it is unclear when it might return to action. — Reuters

UAAP athletes channelling their focus to a different battle

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

WITH athletic competitions in the country forced to take the backseat amid the country’s ongoing battle against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, some athletes have made a conscious effort to use the downtime to continue to make a difference and have their presence felt albeit in a different arena.

Among these athletes are basketball player Jack Animam and fencer Maxine Esteban, both part the University Athletic Association of the Philippines community, who initiated fundraising drives to help frontliners who are leading the way in the COVID-19 battle.

Ms. Animam of National University and a national athlete has chosen to rally behind the medical staff of a hospital in her hometown of Malolos, Bulacan.

As of this writing, the fund drive of Ms. Animam has generated P38,500, with proceeds going to the staff of Bulacan Medical Center (BMC) to help them procure personal protective equipment (PPE) and other basic necessities.

“The BMC is near us and I saw how it is filled with patients to be treated. So I said to myself why not do a fundraiser to help the frontliners with their needs,” said the 21-year-old NU player, who helped the country win gold medals in the 5-on-5 and 3×3 basketball tournaments as part of the Gilas Pilipinas Women’s team in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games held here in the country.

“Just a little help to repay their sacrifices for the country and to keep them motivated,” she added.

Ms. Animam said the decision to move and do her share was a no-brainer, believing in situations like what the country is currently in, all help from as many people as possible would go a long way.

It also provided a motor that being a national athlete she felt she needed to come on board the fight in her own way.

“Of course being part of the national team does not mean you only have to do your part on the basketball court. You have to do your part as a Filipino citizen and use the platform you are given to help and make a difference,” said Animam.

To those who want to donate to the fund drive of Ms. Animam, you may course them through PayMaya (Liiya Patricia Santiago,+639957810238), GCash (Jack Danielle Animam, +639272563958} and BPI Savings (Jack Danielle Animam, 2269187819).

YOUTH HAVE TO PARTICIPATE
The genuine desire to help is also what is driving Ms. Esteban of Ateneo and her family to do their share while also underscoring that the youth of the country should do their part in the COVID-19 battle.

“Well, at first I wanted to make my break productive. I really thought of how I can do my part as a Filipino citizen and as a national athlete to help out our frontliners,” said the 19-year-old Ateneo sophomore, who was part of the Team Foil squad that won bronze during the 2019 SEA Games.

Adding, “I feel like the youth has to actively participate and take part in helping the government find ways to reach out to the medical frontliners and the affected communities.”

Early this month, Ms. Esteban and her sisters launched “A Small Thing Goes A Long Way” fundraising drive and she was happy to share that they have raised P339,000.70 as of last week, apart from receiving 50 pieces of COVID-19 Uratex pillows and 92 bottles of alcohol.

Beneficiaries of the their fund drive include UST Hospital, UERM Memorial Hospital, and National Children’s Hospital, to go along with affected communities in San Juan City.

The pillows, on the other hand, will go to families in San Juan and UERM.

“I was surprised when I saw my friends donating a lot and some people I don’t even know,” said Ms. Esteban, who was the UAAP Season 81 Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in women’s fencing.

She expressed hope that people would continue donating to their drive, which will last until April 26.

To help Ms. Esteban in their drive, you can donate through BDO Wilson Street (Account number: 6580077300 Account name: Maxine Isabel Esteban), G-Cash (09175284329) and Paypal (honneywell.redenvelope@yahoo.com* *Send under friends and family).

A look at Jordan

For a player so transcendent on and off the court, Michael Jordan exuded an aura of mystery that all and sundry simply accepted. What fans knew of him, they did so because he afforded them a peek into his guarded life. True, there were rumors galore, but their spread and proliferation served only to underscore the degree with which he guarded his privacy. That said, his philosophy for success was clear early on; he would do anything and everything to win. Nothing was sacred. Everything was fair play. And it was precisely because of his single-minded quest for perfection that he proved to be his own worst enemy.

Given the melding of reality with the extraordinary in Jordan’s case, it comes as no surprise that The Last Dance, a 10-part series 13 years in the making and finally out today, has become the most anticipated documentary in National Basketball Association history. In part, it’s because of the times; the radical change in schedule the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has inflicted on hoops diehards and casual observers alike makes them a captive audience. Compelled to stay at home, they have no choice but to turn to the organized dissection of the Bulls’ 1997–98 campaign as a means to satiate their appetite for testosterone-fueled fare.

Even without taking into consideration the proven pedigree of those behind The Last Dance, the central role Jordan plays in it ensures its worth and worthiness. It’s a no-brainer for the countless hoops habitues who saw him cement his place in the pantheon of all-time greats with a third straight championship and sixth in eight seasons, the string broken only by his flirtation with baseball between 1993 and 1995. Likewise, it’s the ultimate tease for a new generation of fans who didn’t get to see him play, but who were nonetheless intrigued by stories being passed along in the grapevine. Now, they’ll get to see the truth.

By all accounts, The Last Dance cuts no corners. True, it has come to fruition because Jordan retained control over the production; he had the power to shut everything down at any time. On the other hand, he understood that his finest side — the one that precisely separates him from his so-called peers and ensures his status as the best of the best — can be appreciated to the fullest only if his Hyde persona is likewise on display for all to see. It’s a look that definitely betrays his warts, and also definitely highlights his strengths. Whether he was an irrational bully or just as demanding of others as he was of himself depends on point of view, but there can be no arguing the results.

Jordan wasn’t — isn’t — easy. Neither does The Last Dance promise to be. It’s not intended to be a gift wrapped ever so neatly. Rather, it’s an uncompromising look in the complexities of the NBA’s most popular — and most polarizing — figure. For the narrative series’ principal protagonist, it’s also a reminder that even the first among equals has frailties. What set him apart was his capacity to overcome them.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.

[B-SIDE Podcast] Data privacy during a pandemic

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The work-from-home era has begun. Straits Interactive Philippines Country Manager Edwin A. Concepcion tells BusinessWorld reporter Arjay L. Balinbin how an increase in telecommuting entails an even greater need to adhere to data protection regulations. In this episode, Mr. Concepcion sheds light on emerging data privacy challenges in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic and how innovators can potentially use big data to help the government tackle the crisis. To learn more about Straits Interactive and how the company delivers end-to-end data protection and governance as-a-service, visit straitsinteractive.com. This episode was recorded remotely on April 10. Produced by Nina M. Diaz, Paolo L. Lopez, and Sam L. Marcelo.

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Pernia quits as Duterte’s Socioeconomic Planning chief

ERNESTO M. Pernia on Friday resigned as President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s Socioeconomic Planning chief, citing personal reasons and “differences in development philosophy” with some fellow Cabinet members.

The President had accepted Mr. Pernia’s resignation and named Finance Undersecretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua as acting secretary of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Executive Secretary Salvador S. Medialdea said in a mobile-phone message.

“After reflection during Holy Week and consultations with my family and close colleagues, I have decided to resign from my post as secretary of Socioeconomic Planning,” Mr. Pernia said in a statement.

“This is due partly to personal reasons and partly to differences in development philosophy with a few of my fellow Cabinet members,” he added.

Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez in a separate statement said the President’s economic team had not been consulted about Mr. Pernia’s decision to step down.

Mr. Pernia thanked the President for entrusting him with the post as well as his colleagues at the NEDA for the “trust and confidence in my leadership.”

“I would like to thank the President for appointing me to the position,” he said. “It has been an honor and privilege to have served the country under his administration for the past nearly four years.”

“I leave NEDA knowing that we have initiated and implemented meaningful changes that will help the country overcome these challenging times and on to a higher growth trajectory,” Mr. Pernia said.

Mr. Pernia recently joined the government’s Inter-Agency Task Force against the novel coronavirus in crafting an economic recovery plan.

He was appointed NEDA chief at the start of Mr. Duterte’s presidency in July 2016.

Mr. Pernia and other officials of the agency did not immediately reply to mobile-phone messages seeking comments. — Beatrice M. Laforga

Philippine economy may shrink by 0.2% — S&P

S&P Global Ratings expects the Philippine economy to shrink by 0.2% this year as the world comes to grips with the human and economic price of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The expected contraction compares with the flat growth or a contraction of as much as 1% estimated by Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez before the one-month Luzon-wide lockdown was extended until April 30.

“There are no shortcuts, no silver bullets to help us understand what the human and economic price of the COVID-19 pandemic will be,” S&P said in a report dated April 16.

“Only with experience and data can we learn the key lessons, among them: how long lockdowns need to last, how economies can reopen before a lasting medical solution is found, and what lasting imprint this episode will leave across the global economy,” it added.

“Tracking this crisis requires constant updating of our assumptions and models to help understand what the broad contours of pandemic will look like over the coming years,” the rating company said.

Meanwhile, S&P upgraded its 2021 growth forecast for the country to 9%. It cut its 2020 growth projection for Asia Pacific to 0.3%.

“Our forecasts now imply a loss in household and corporate income of about $2.2 trillion in Asia], which will be distributed across balance sheets,” it said.

“We expect economies to enter a transition period where social distancing measures will be along a continuum between full lockdowns and business-as-usual until mid-2021,” it added.

It may take until 2023 for economic activities in the region to normalize, S&P said.

S&P’s new forecasts assumed that the first wave of the outbreak peaked in China and will peak in April for most economies in Asia Pacific

It estimates that reported cases will peak early in the third quarter for some emerging markets, including India and Indonesia.

The COVID-19 virus has sickened 2.2 million and killed more than 147,000 people worldwide, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization.

S&P warned of rising joblessness amid the continued shutdown of businesses due to lockdowns in many economies.

“A surge in unemployment, say by more than 4 percentage points, would mean a much flatter recovery path in Asia-Pacific,” it said. “Consumption would be lower, saving would be higher, and stress may emerge among some of the region’s more leverage household sectors,” it said.

The debt watcher expects the Philippine jobless rate to rise to 6.8% this year.

The Philippine government initially targeted 6.5% to 7.5% growth this year before the outbreak occurred. — Luz Wendy T. Noble

Filipinos less upbeat about Q2, next 12 months — BSP

FILIPINO consumers were less upbeat about this quarter and the rest of the year, citing worries about lower income amid a novel coronavirus pandemic, according to the Philippine central bank’s latest consumer expectation survey.

The overall consumer outlook index for the second quarter fell to 9.2% from 15.7% in the first quarter, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said in a statement on Friday.

The index for the next 12 months also dropped to 19.9% from 26.4% in the previous quarter’s survey results, BSP said.

Consumers cited rising prices, higher household expenses, low or no increase in income, natural calamities and the virus outbreak for their less upbeat outlook for the next quarter and next 12 months, the central bank said.

Filipinos were also looking at trimming down expenses this quarter, with the spending outlook index slipping to 33.3% from 37.1% in the previous quarter, suggesting that consumer spending may slow in the next three months, BSP said.

Fewer respondents expected higher spending on electricity, food, nonalcoholic beverages and tobacco, fuel, personal care, transportation, education, recreation and culture, clothing and footwear, restaurants and cafes, and communication.

More consumers expected higher spending for medical care and steady expenses for water, house rent and furnishing.

BSP said the percentage of households that considered the next 12 months as a favorable time to buy big-ticket items declined to 6.5% from 9.8%.

“Similarly, this less upbeat intention of buying the three big-ticket items in the next 12 months was observed,” the central bank said.

BSP said 5,406 households took part in the survey on Jan. 29 to Feb. 10. — Luz Wendy T. Noble

18 city jail prisoners, staff infected with coronavirus

By Vann Marlo M. Villegas, Reporter

EIGHTEEN prisoners and staff members at one of the Philippines’ city jails have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to the jail bureau.

Chief Inspector Xavier Solda, a spokesman for the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), told reporters on Friday they were “doing extensive contact tracing” after nine inmates and nine staff workers were infected.

The nine prisoners had been transferred to an isolation facility in Payatas, Quezon City from the city jail, Mr. Solda said. Prison workers who tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 were in quarantine, he added.

Mr. Solda said all jail personnel at the Quezon City Jail have been tested for the COVID-19 virus.

“We are doing an extensive contact tracing. We have a team assigned to it,” he told a news briefing.

Gabriel Chaklag, spokesman for the Bureau of Corrections, said there were no confirmed COVID-19 cases at the national penitentiary but nine inmates were being monitored. Fourteen other prisoners at the Correctional Institute for Women were also under monitoring, he added.

Human Rights Watch urged the government to act fast and release some detainees.

“Finding that COVID-19 has infected 18 inmates and personnel at the Quezon City Jail shows why it’s so critical the government actively pursues early release of detainees charged with low-level, nonviolent offenses, as well as the sick and older inmates,” Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of HRW, said in a statement.

“The government needs to act urgently to mitigate what could be a catastrophe inside the country’s overcrowded prisons before it’s too late,” he said.

More than 20 prisoners who claimed to be vulnerable to the virus earlier asked the Supreme Court to allow their release on bail on humanitarian grounds.

The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the government to comment on the lawsuit.

Several groups including the House of Representatives Makabayan bloc and Judicial Reform Initiative have also called on the court to order the release of the prisoners.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health reported 218 new infections on Friday, bringing the total to 5,878.

Twenty-five more patients died, raising the death toll to 387, it said in a bulletin. Fifty-two more patients have gotten well, bringing the total recoveries to 487, it added.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire said 766 health workers — 339 of them doctors and 242 nurses — had tested positive for the virus. Twenty-two of them have died, she said.

She said recoveries have spiked because patients considered as probable COVID-19 cases were treated early while awaiting test results.

Ms. Vergeire also said the country now had 17 testing centers after the Chinese General Hospital was certified.

She said testing centers processed 4,000 samples on Thursday, or half of the 8,000 target capacity by the end of the month.

Duterte threatens martial law-like enforcement of quarantine

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has threatened to enlist the police and military to enforce social distancing and curfew in place of village law enforcers if people continue to violate quarantine rules.

“I’m just asking for your discipline,” Mr. Duterte said in an address on Thursday night. “Otherwise, the military and police will take over,” he said, adding that “it will be like martial law.”

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei B. Nograles on Friday said the President was just trying to emphasize he would do everything to impose order.

He added that under the Constitution, martial rule may only be declared if there is invasion or rebellion.

In his speech, Mr. Duterte also ordered the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to investigate local governments that continue to tolerate cockfights and drinking.

“Do not expect any help from me,” he told local governments.

Mr. Duterte also asked crematoriums not to raise their fees amid the health crisis.

He also ordered the Department of Health (DOH) to investigate nine hospitals accused of refusing patients.

Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez in a statement said the National Government should pay for the burial and cremation of coronavirus patients who died.

“We should discourage relatives from directly participating in these arrangements for their own protection and safety, as they would be exposed to the virus,” he said.

Mr. Rodriguez said people should follow the Muslim tradition of burying their dead within 24 hours to prevent the virus from spreading.

Mr. Duterte locked down Luzon island on March 17 for a month, suspending work, classes and public transportation to contain the pandemic. He later extended the so-called enhanced community quarantine by two more weeks until April 30.

Meanwhile, Albay Rep. Edcel C. Lagman said lifting the lockdown could lead to a resurgence in coronavirus disease 2019 cases.

“The government must heed the advice of world health authorities and scientists not to prematurely lift the lockdown and social distancing restrictions because a one-time or limited lockdown cannot effectively control the spread of viral transmission,” he said in a statement.

Also on Friday, Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund F. Villafuerte said the province had bought 20,000 rapid test kits for COVID-19 from Abbott Laboratories that were due to arrive this week.

These would allow the province to test both frontline healthcare workers and suspected cases, the congressman said in a statement.

Mr. Villafuerte said Camarines Sur had bought the kits using the P6-billion fund from the National Government for 81 local units.

Abbott has developed its own ‘serology test” to detect antibodies in patients who have been exposed to the new coronavirus, he said. — Genshen L. Espedido and Charmaine A. Tadalan

200 Filipino seamen from Germany arrive

ABOUT 200 Filipino sailors from Germany came home on Friday amid a novel coronavirus pandemic that has sickened 2.2 million and killed more than 147,000 people worldwide, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

In a statement, the agency said 66 crewmen of MV Amera, 130 from Albatros, three from River and a crew member of MV Amadea had been repatriated.

Their return was facilitated by the Philippine Embassy in Berlin and local manning agencies Five Star Marine Service Corp. and BSM Crew Service Centre Philippines, Inc., DFA said.

The Filipinos were subjected to medical check-ups supervised by the Bureau of Quarantine, and will undergo the mandatory 14-day quarantine.

The COVID-19 virus has sickened more than 138,000 people and killed more than 4,000 people in Germany, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization.

The Philippines earlier said it would allow foreign cruise ships carrying Filipino crewmen to dock at ports in Manila and be used as quarantine sites. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Gov’t says P71B in cash aid released

THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has released almost 90% or P71.2 billion of the initial emergency cash aid for low-income households affected by the Luzon lockdown amid a novel coronavirus disease pandemic.

The agency reported providing P1.3 billion in additional subsidy to 236,331 low-income families that are ineligible for the government’s cash transfer program for the poorest of the poor, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei B. Nograles said at a news briefing on Friday.

The amount was on top of cash aid given to 3.72 million poorest of the poor households, he said. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Dominguez views gov’t property sales as ‘unlikely,’ warns against ‘fire sales’

FINANCE Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said the government does not need to sell property to cover the funding requirements for containing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and called such sales unlikely.

Mr. Dominguez said Thursday night that the Philippines has sufficient financial resources, including borrowing capacity, to deal with the pandemic.

“The President has really done a very good job economically, we kept on growing and we are in a good position,” Mr. Dominguez told People’s Television Network (PTV-4).

“Of course the President (might have mentioned the) worst possible scenario that, maybe at some point, we may have to sell some assets but at this point, that’s not yet necessary and frankly I don’t think that will be necessary (to resort to a) fire sale. I dont believe that will ever happen,” he said.

Proposals have been put forward to sell military land as well as the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), after President Rodrigo R. Duterte floated the idea of asset sales last week.

Mr. Duterte was discussing the limits to government resources if the pandemic is prolonged, adding that it could resort to property sales if state funds are depleted. He brought up asset sales again in his televised address on Thursday night.

Mr. Dominguez said when the pandemic hit the Philippines, its financial standing was solid due to increased revenue, prudent fiscal management, and a strong credit rating.

“(When) COVID emergency (started), we were in a very good financial position because of policies of President Duterte. One, we increased our revenues, he spent money very wisely and because of that, tumaas yung credit rating natin at yung (our credit rating increased as well as our) reputation natin as a good borrower is very high, the highest ever achieved by the Filipino people, we are now BBB+, and next step (is a rating of) A… so the President has really done a very good job economically,” he said.

Senators have expressed support for asset sales to add to the war chest for the COVID-19 response.

Senate Franklin M. Drilon has urged the economic team to undertake a “speedy” review of state assets that can be sold immediately. Mr. Drilon said the additional funds will also help mitigate the rising budget deficit, which is expected to hit 5.3% of GDP from 3.5% in 2019 and the pre-pandemic target ceiling of 3.2%.

“Better utilization of these state assets is long overdue as a national policy. The government does not have to look far to raise additional revenues. There are ‘low-hanging fruits’ the government can immediately tap to provide the much-needed resources for our country to survive this pandemic,” he said.

Senator Panfilo M. Lacson concurred, saying that the government can sell military property provided that these sales do not compromise the security of military bases.

The government is looking to fund its programs and emergency response to COVID-19 from revenue, realigned budgets, tapping departments’ savings, state firm dividends, collecting savings of government agencies from cancelled events, among others.

To help plug any funding gaps, the Department of Finance (DoF) is looking to tap multilateral lenders for at least $5.6 billion worth of financing, with $3.858 billion in proposed funding from the Asian Development Bank and $1.8 billion from the World Bank.

It is also looking to tap the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and commercial markets for additional funding. — Beatrice M. Laforga

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